Rift
by auri mynonys
Summary: Mirage's powers are revealed.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Rift

**Pairing:** Syndrome/Mirage

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary: **The full extent of Mirage's powers are revealed.

**Warnings: **Language, sexual references, etc. More as they appear.

**Setting: **Post-_Incredibles_

**A/N: This is the beginning chapter to my first Mirage/Syndrome fanfic. Yay! For once, no original characters! Everyone rejoice! (And there was much rejoicing. "Yay." :eats minstrels:) It popped into my head during Journalism last week and I haven't been able to get it out. So, without further ado… THE FANFIC! Read and review people!**

A single delicate figure is sitting on the charred-black ground of the local neighborhood, head hanging dejectedly, eyes downcast. White-blond hair hangs in her face. Dirty ash dusts her otherwise spotless gray suit coat and skirt. She sifts some ashes between her fingers, and clutches tightly in her other hand the only thing that remains of _him_, the one she loves, the one she thought loved her - a single, circular white remote, useless now that the robot it controlled is destroyed. It is only a memory, a link to the past, a worthless piece of memorabilia, a reminder of times that were both better and worse than those occurring now.

She did not want him to die. Maybe she had made it seem so, a few nights before; but it was only spite then, only words. Just as his carelessness, his negligent care of her threatened life, had only been spite, only words. She meant something to him, certainly; and he meant so much more than something to her.

The remote beeps loudly as her fingers lovingly caress a button. She ignores the noise, and continues to stare hopelessly at the ground. A tear falls down her cheek, descending gracefully to follow her chin and then slide down her neck, disappearing into the folds of a soft aqua turtleneck. She traces the trail of the tear absentmindedly with her fingertip, the ash below her still swirling, forming beautiful patterns in the wind.

She should not weep, she supposes. He is - was - well, she cannot say evil, _will not_ say evil; he is - was - _misunderstood_. The word suits him better, she thinks - as well as it suits her. Everything about them is so shrouded in shades of gray that it is hard to say on which side of the line marking good and evil they fall.

Shades of gray. There are so many of them. The pair of them each made up their own unique shade, defined its exact coloring, found the perfect gray-ness to suit each of their personalities, and claimed it for their own. No black and white; no set good or bad. Everything is so simple for the simpleminded; and though Mirage and Syndrome could both be found guilty of many faults, simplemindedness was not one of them.

Complexity is not something that her new friends understand. They are Supers. They are good. He was a Supervillain. He was evil. They know this in their core, even the girl who might have understood, once upon a time. She has taken on an identity, changed, blossomed; she is a Super her family will be proud of.

Mirage feels only disgust.

A shadow falls across the path of dimmed sunlight, a bulky shadow, wreathing her entire small figure. "I… didn't think you'd be this upset," a deep, masculine voice says softly.

She looks up, a frown marring her otherwise perfect features. "Then you didn't think," she says icily. She stands and brushes ash from her skirt. "He was my friend, you know. Not just my employer. Not just some ruthless monster who forced me to murder. He was… much more."

This man, whom she thought she could have loved, once, if his heart were free and if Syndrome had never existed, frowns, as though confused. "But he was _evil_," he says, and Mirage's heart turns to stone at the sounds of the words. She pitied him, once, pitied his plight and his family and those things he had lost - those things she knew she would never have - and she had rescued him. Where once she had respected him she felt only a cold, raw bitterness, a loathing, and desperation to change it all.

She draws herself up to a great height and meets his gaze dead on. "You and I see things very differently, Mr. Incredible," she says in a deadly quiet voice.

His frown deepens. "I know my duty, Mirage," he says, almost a threat - a warning to her. _Tread carefully, or you will become evil, like him._

"I know mine, too." Mirage turns and walks away, her hair glowing blood-red in the last gasping rays of the setting sun.

Mr. Incredible watches her depart, and looks helplessly at his wife. "What just happened?" he demands.

Helen shrugs, catches her husband's arm, and pulls him towards the car. They may discuss, quietly, why Mirage is so upset, explain away her morbidity and sorrow; but they are Supers. They do not - _will not_ - understand that there is so much more to life, to a person, than good and evil - that there are infinite shades of gray, shades named, unnamed, and yet to be.

Mirage knows. She is a wispy, shadowy gray, like smoke in the breeze, there one instant, gone the next. A mirage.

She knows.


	2. The Rift

**A/N: Yay! Second chappy of my newest Incredibles fic! Be excited:looks around: Aw, whaddya mean, you're not going to get excited about a piece of crap like this:cries: J/K! And now for review responses…**

**_SGXOXO_****: I was thinking of you when I wrote this… I know how much you love S/M and I do too, and then I got this idea in Journalism and I was like, "Oh, Syndrome'sGirlXOXO will be going nuts when she sees this…" So hopefully this has enough romantic gushiness between Syndrome and Mirage to make you happy!**

**_Darth Luminous: _****:shrugs: Mirage has literally zero background info, so we know nothing for certain about her. In my humble opinion, she deserves some superpowers. I just think it would be so amazingly ironic that Syndrome would date a Super, and I dig irony. Plus most people hate OC stories, and I'm almost positive Syndrome would go after a Super, so then I have to make up an OC for him to fall in love with, and then everyone says, "Oh, not another one of THOSE stupid fanfics," and I cry hot tears of sorrow. You see how complicated it all is? Plus this is fanfiction and you can sort of do what you want. :shrugs again: But whatever floats your submarine, right?**

- - - - - - - - -

Downtown Metroville. It is not exactly the perfect place to exercise her power, but it doesn't matter to her now. She knows what she can do - perhaps, what she _must_ do.

Syndrome had been impressed by her powers when she had first handed herself over to him. She was the stepdaughter of one of his numerous lackeys - a man no longer in the employ of Syndrome, Inc. Her stepfather had not been a man of honor. Mirage had been a nuisance to him. She cost money, since he was putting her through college, and she cost time, since he had to play the father role, and these were two things that he was most certainly not willing to give to her. And so he had brought her to Syndrome, throwing her at the mercy of a Super-hating maniac whose plan was to wipe all of the "mutants" off the face of the earth.

She had been lucky, she supposes, that she was as attractive as she was. She had been lucky that she truly hated - and still hates - the Supers, herself included. She had been lucky that this combination had been enough to convince Syndrome that she was a worthwhile addition to his corporation.

He would not be nearly so generous with Supers to come.

There were a few other Supers working for Syndrome, but mostly they kept their powers a secret except when he'd required them for missions. He'd never asked to use Mirage's power. He'd never dared. Her powers were too dangerous, the implications too threatening. She had used them only rarely, for fear of the cost, should she make a mistake.

But now it was time to use them again.

Time, Mirage knows, is in itself a mirage, like her. There are multiple facets and dimensions to Time. There are gullies and valleys and peaks and, most importantly, rifts, gaping holes where things _could have been_, but _aren't_.

Mirage could find these rifts, open them a little wider, and then step in and fill them with an alternate reality - itself an illusion that made what had actually happened disappear and altered reality completely so that nobody even knew there'd been a change in events.

Time travel. It was impossible, she'd been told, ever since she was a girl. She'd always hungered to prove everyone wrong. And, in a way, she had, with her strange superpower - her ability to manipulate and alter events to her own advantage. She could kill if she wanted and no one would know. She could save lives.

Most importantly, she could bring people back from the dead.

If one relies upon mere technicality, one might point out that her ability to alter time did not make her so powerful as to make people rise from the grave. She would go back in time; therefore, the person never died.

Technicalities are not important to Mirage, at least not at the moment. There is a man whom she wants to live, more desperately than she has ever wanted anything, and she will find a way to save him, no matter what it takes. She will give him the glory and power and heroism he seeks - anything, to return him to the world of the living. She will forgive him his transgression against her life. She will not betray him ever again, just so long as he is safe on Nomanisan.

She walks to the center of Metroville, by several tall skyscrapers. There is damage here that will take much time to mend, havoc wreaked by the Omnidroid that Syndrome so lovingly crafted. She studies the world around her, and then closes her eyes tightly to shut out everything but the soft whisper of Time passing her by.

It is a quiet noise, like silken sheets swishing softy across a cold, marble floor. No one but Mirage can hear it; she is Time's Mistress, able to feel its eddies and currents, and able to harness its raw energy and force it to obey her will. She seeks, now, the Rift, the opening, that will allow her to dive into the past and return her lover to life.

It comes at her, yawning, gaping, a deep swirling vortex, and suddenly all around her is deathly quiet. She reaches out mentally, and grabs at the edge of the Rift, clinging to it almost desperately. It halts, shudders fitfully against her grip, and then seems to relax, to open wider.

Time stops.

Mirage opens her eyes briefly. Everyone around her is utterly frozen, as though someone has pressed "pause" on the video screen. Mirage smiles. So far, so good. She closes her eyes again and mentally begins to climb through the rift, into the dark abyss.

And the past flickers by her like a whirlwind.

- - - - - - - - -

_ The jet un-erupts. Syndrome is spat back out the engines and swings back into the cabin. The Incredibles are watching in horror as their son suddenly reappears in Syndrome's arms, and then he slides down into the air, back into the house. The hole in the roof fixes itself. The Incredibles disappear back into their home, and then suddenly run out the door towards the limo that brought them there._

Time moves on.

- - - - - - - - -

_Syndrome is lying on a rooftop. He is unconscious, his eyes closed painfully tight. His hair dangles in his face, and he remains blissfully ignorant of the fact that he is being defeated, even now - and also of the fact that someone is trying to allow him victory._

The moment ends.

- - - - - - - - -

_He is laughing wickedly to himself, departing the cell containing the Incredibles. A grin is crossing his face, and he eagerly strides towards the landing pad where his jet awaits to take him away to Metroville. He passes employees, all excited and anxiously awaiting the culmination of their plans. Syndrome pauses to speak to a few of them, and then continues walking. He graces a few guards with a genial wave. They all smile back._

_ Syndrome passes by a small room in the hallway. The door is opened, and through it can be seen a large picture window facing the sea and the landing pad where his jet is waiting, several guards pacing impatiently back and forth, back and forth. A small, elegant figure is standing in front of the window, staring out. He stops and stares at the figure._

_ It's Mirage, waiting for him to leave. The triumphant smirk fades from his face, and he hesitates, watching her with a tenderness that might have moved her, if she would have seen it. But she is not looking at him. She knows he is there, but she chooses to ignore his presence for the moment; she is still enraged that he appears to value her so little. She is silently hoping he'll keep walking, that she won't have to speak to him, but he makes up his mind and enters the room with a telltale clacking of boots on the metal floor and a swishing of the cape that will become his doom. "Mir," he says softly, coming to stand beside her._

_ She glances at him, her posture stiff and formal. "Yes, sir?" she says coldly._

_ He flinches at her tone, and the way she hurls his title at him as though it were a deadly missile. "I'm leaving for Metroville," he informs her, attempting to ignore her attitude. "Wish me luck."_

_ She turns away. "You don't need luck," she says somewhat bitterly. "You can't be defeated. We've planned too much for that."_

_ Syndrome is obviously unsure how to respond to this; but he wants to say good-bye to her. He wants to tell her how sorry he is, how much she really does mean to him; how, sometimes, this evil little part of his mind just overtakes him and he has to hold on to this ridiculous idea of revenge and no matter what he does he cannot, he **will not**__, let go - but there are no words, no time, for that now. He trusts that there will be time later. **Just a little reassurance,**__ he tells himself, **and when I get back I can explain everything.**_

_ He catches her around her tiny waist and pulls her into his arms. She looks up at him, startled. He's been so busy recently, plotting away, that he's showed her almost no signs of affection. She makes a small attempt to resist, but only a small one. She's missed him; she can't deny it, much as she would currently like to._

_ He bends over and kisses her forehead lightly, not daring to go near her lips just yet. She's still angry. She still needs space. He understands, much as he does not want to. "I love you," he whispers, hiding his face in her platinum blonde hair for a moment. "So much…"_

_ Somewhat relieved, somewhat angry, she pushes him away and turns her back to him, staring resolutely out the window. "Do you?" she questions cynically. "You certainly fooled me."_

_ He stares at her back, baby blue eyes wide with hurt. He wishes he could explain to her now - in fact, he opens his mouth, preparing to do just that - he still has time to get to Metroville, doesn't he? But a guard in gray appears in the doorway and enters. "Sir," he says somewhat testily, "We need to be going soon. Otherwise we run the risk of being too late."_

_ Syndrome's hands clench tightly into fists. He knows how important it is to make Mirage understand - but his plans - his plans are about to reach culmination! He can't just leave them now!_

_ He nods shortly and hesitates a few seconds, waiting for Mirage to say something more. She does not oblige him. He sighs angrily and turns on his heel, storming out of the room. He stomps down the hall, determined not to let Mirage's mood ruin his victory, and goes to the very jet that will end his life._

_ He does not know. He will never know._

The Rift stops spinning, and Mirage steps out.

- - - - - - - - -

She is now standing in front of a large picture window, staring at the blue ocean ahead of her. Below is the landing platform that she just saw Syndrome walk out to. But that has not happened yet. Things will be different, now. She can warn him of the danger his robot poses, and then he will defeat it, and there will be no need for this fight with the Incredibles, and the final explosion of his jet. She waits, and she waits, and she waits.

For a few horrible seconds she thinks that he will not appear, but then the familiar clacking of boots sounds behind her. She is so relieved to hear the reverberation that tears spring to her eyes - _Thank God, he's still alive!_ - and then she wipes them away with the back of her hand. He won't understand why she's crying, and she won't want to explain.

The sound of his boots stop for a moment, and then he enters the room, coming to stand beside her.

"Mir?"

His voice sounds more questioning, more plaintive, than Mirage recalls it sounding before. Maybe she is simply hearing and seeing things differently, now that she knows his life is resting in her hands.

She turns to look at him and feels her heart swell as he steps a little closer and her eyes take in his masked face, his baby blue eyes, the freckles spilling out from beneath the black of his mask. _You're alive! … I can't believe you're standing here with me…_ "Leaving?" she asks softly, although of course she knows the answer. She steps a little closer.

Syndrome seems to take this as a good sign and looks cautiously optimistic. "Yeah," he says. "Yeah, I'm going in. Wish me luck!"

Mirage smiles. "I always do," she promises.

He grins, an adorable, boyish grin. "So… I take it you're not angry at me anymore?" he says hopefully.

Mirage shrugs. "Upset, maybe," she tells him. "But I'll get over it." _As long as you're still here… as long as I can keep you alive, or at least tell you good-bye…_

His smile widens at her words, and he embraces her warmly. "Good," he says. "I was really worried for awhile. I've really missed you, you know. I'm sorry I've been so busy and everything… I promise everything will be better when I get back."

Mirage cuddles against his shoulder, happy beyond words; but she still has to warn him - otherwise she has done all this for nothing. "Buddy?"

He must sense that she has something very important to say, because he does not correct her use of his given name. "Yes?" he asks quietly.

She pulls back slightly so that she can look him in the eyes. "Don't forget what you've built," she warns. "As I told Mr. Incredible - as you yourself told me - it's a _learning_ robot. Once it realizes that you're controlling it, it may retaliate."

He nods slowly, taking in the information she has just given him.

Mirage leans forward and presses her lips to his. "Be careful," she commands. "Come back to me a hero."

He smiles brilliantly, his face flushed and eyes glowing with excitement. "I will," he promises. "Oh, believe me, I _will_."

He kisses her again. She doesn't remember ever feeling this happy in a long, long time. She cuddles closer to him and is about to deepen the kiss when someone clears his throat.

Syndrome pulls back from her and glances at the doorway. A guard in a gray uniform is standing there, trying and failing to suppress a grin. "Sorry, sir," he says apologetically. "But we'd better be heading out. We don't want to be late."

Syndrome nods absentmindedly and gives Mirage a final look before stepping back from her and walking out the door. His cape swishes dramatically behind him, and Mirage smiles, knowing how much he loves that sound, and that feeling.

She turns back to the window and waits, watching for the jet that will take him away to whatever fate awaits him.

She can only pray that it will be different than the last.


	3. Life or Death

**A/N: g This story is loved! That's so exciting! Sorry that this chapter is so short… I think the next one might be kinda short, too… but don't worry, they will get longer!**

**_SGXOXO_****: Awww… I'm glad you like this story so much! The fluffy romantic-ness just gets better later. Enjoy this chapter!**

**_PitBullLady:_**** :blushes: Thank you so much for your review! It made my day. And "kronos" actually means "time" in Greek? Wow. I didn't even know that. But now that I do, that could make a very interesting incorporation… ; )**

**Thank you thank you thank you to my reviewers! I love you so much!**

- - - - - - - - -

Syndrome hovers just outside his jet over Metroville, watching the movement of his Omnidroid. He is proud, so proud, that it is operating exactly as it should.

_Don't forget what you've built._ Mirage's words ring in his head.

He draws a deep breath in preparation. _Don't worry, Mirage. I won't forget._

He drops downward, straight and true, like a hawk diving for its prey.

- - - - - - - - -

Mirage now sits among the guards, watching the news while fearfully chewing her fingers. _Let him be all right, let him be all right…_

"He'll be ok," a guard named Jason says to her, noting her nervousness. "He's had this planned out for years. He can't fail now."

Oh, if only Jason knew! Mirage just nods, eyes glued to the screen. "Where is he?" she demands, shifting impatiently where she stands.

As soon as she speaks, Syndrome appears. The camera has turned to him as he zero-points a tanker truck filled with oil, saving a woman and her child from almost certain death. There are people whispering around the camera, wondering which Super he is. Rather dramatically, he announces himself as a new Super, and prepares to throw the truck aside. He thinks better of it and sets it down lightly on the side of the road, where hopefully it will not cause much damage.

Suddenly, the Omnidroid appears out of nowhere. Mirage gives a little scream despite herself. "It's ok," Jason says, laying a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but he doesn't sound very certain himself. The Omnidroid is a very large and very threatening machine. If Syndrome does one little thing wrong…

Syndrome attacks the Omnidroid, diving at it and hitting one of the legs with amazing precision. It falls off, thanks to the remote control attached to his arm. He pulls up in time to avoid a swing from one of the other legs, and Mirage emits another scream as he dives below the machine, which is now trying to crush him. "He's going to die, I just know it…" she groans.

"He's not going to die," Jason says, but he definitely sounds like he does not believe this now.

Syndrome plummets and hits another leg. It falls to the ground. By now the Omnidroid has caught on to the fact that Syndrome has a remote and is controlling its every move. The Omnidroid is quite resentful of this, and is fiercely attempting to shoot its creator. Fortunately, Syndrome is paying attention to what Mirage told him and, despite his obvious desire to play the hero and wave to all the people below him, he pays attention to what he's doing. He avoids every blast (narrowly) and shoots upward. He prepares to dive and attack again, but by now the "eye" on top of the Omnidroid's head is spinning rapidly, tracking his movements. It will lock onto him soon and kill him. Mirage has never been more certain of anything.

"_NO!_" Mirage buries her head in Jason's shoulder, since it is the only conveniently located place to hide. Jason seems to want to do the same, but is too fascinated and terrified to pull his eyes away from the scene.

_No, no, no… don't let him die… not after all I've done to save him!_ Mirage pleads with whatever entity happens to be listening to her prayers.

There is a horribly loud explosion. Mirage screams in horror, but Jason is shaking her and shouting triumphantly, "It's ok, Mirage, it's ok, he beat it! He made it explode! It was so cool, you should've seen the way that thing blew up into a massive fireball! He won! He did it! I can't believe it, he did it!"

Mirage lifts her head from Jason's shoulder and stares suspiciously at the TV screen, as though it might be lying to her. But there's Syndrome, sweaty and sooty, grinning jubilantly. A crowd of cheering people surrounds him. Relief floods Mirage's body, and she giggles despite herself. Everybody in the control room begins to clap, relieved and elated that their plan has worked.

Mirage smiles happily. Syndrome won't be going to the Incredibles' home. The jet won't kill him. Hell, the Incredibles won't even _be_ there to -

Mirage's heart stops with one horrible realization.

The Incredibles! They would have escaped from their cells by now! God only knew where they were - it was just pure luck they hadn't shown up on the scene in Metroville - then again, they couldn't escape the island without her help, but still -

She grabs Jason's arm. "Jason!" she gasps. "Check the cell holding the Incredibles! _DO IT NOW!"_

Jason gives her an odd look, but she is so frantic that he shrugs and unquestioningly checks the cell via security camera.

They're gone.


	4. Shades of Gray

**A/N: Yes, I am a horrible person for not updating sooner. Hey, at least you don't have to wait like my LOTR and POTO readers do! I haven't updated those fanfics since July:smacks self: Ah, well. When inspiration hits, inspiration hits, right? Anyway here's chapter 4 - I will be attempting to update more often from now on.**

While Jason is still gaping dumbly at the screen, Mirage is already running down the halls of Nomanisan's great fortress. _How could you have been so stupid? _she demands of herself in fury, running as fast as she can. She is little more than a blur of platinum blonde hair and caramel skin, rushing as fast as her tiny, delicate body will take her. She has to find them. She hast to fix this error, and then everything - _everything_ - will be perfect.

She enters the landing bay where she found them previously and stops, panting, her brilliant green eyes frantically seeking the Super family. At last, she spots them running, searching, their bright red uniforms glittering like splashes of blood against the flat gray background of Nomanisan's mechanical walls. They are seeking an escape, a way to freedom. Perhaps Mirage will find one for them. Perhaps she will not.

She forces herself to run again, although her muscles are burning and her lungs are still recovering. Mr. Incredible hears her footsteps and turns, smiling that open, happy grin that she has now become so familiar with. "Mirage!" he exclaims as he starts to jog in her direction. "We have to get out of here, fast! Syndrome's going to Metroville and - "

Mirage stops and holds a hand to her pounding heart, trying to regain her breath. "You're too late," she manages to gasp out. "He's already gone and shut down the Omnidroid."

Mr. Incredible looks crestfallen and slightly incredulous. "And you didn't - didn't try to stop him?"

Mirage shrugs. "There was nothing I could do, unless I wanted to kill him," she says. "And that is the last thing I want."

Mr. Incredible looks even more dubious at this, but he continues along his same line of thought. "Well, there's still time to reveal him for the evil villain he is," he says firmly. "If you'll just help us. We need a jet of some kind to get us to - "

"No," Mirage says flatly.

Mr. Incredible stops dead. "What?" he repeats, eyes narrowing.

"_No_," Mirage repeats stubbornly. Her fierce response obviously surprises him, and perhaps his family as well - but they are irrelevant at the moment. All that matters is Mr. Incredible - is forcing him to understand what is at stake for her.

He tries again. "But - " he stammers. "But… I thought you were on _our_ side."

Something explodes inside Mirage's brain, and she stands up tall and straight and begins to shout. "_Your side_?" she repeats. "Is that all the world is to you stupid heroes? _Sides_? Is it really just that black and white to you? How can you _live_ seeing things that way? Yours is not the only _right side_, Mr. Incredible! There are other ways one can be right. There are shades of gray. That's why Syndrome and I hated you, you know - you never _understood_ that there are people who are neither good nor evil, that there is a place in between. You never cared enough to see beyond your perfect little world! And that's why we've spent all these years destroying you! I thought you might be different, but you aren't, not at all! You're just like all the others - the perfect immortal heroes, and we, the lowly, worthless mortals for you to rescue and to command at your will! It's no wonder he hates you all so much!"

The words come gushing from her mouth in a furious tide, before she can bite them back. She has hidden them behind a cold and aloof exterior, swallowed them even as they rose to the tip of her tongue, fought them back along with the tears that burned her eyes when she saw them standing before her, so fierce and proud in their uniforms. Oh, how she'd grown to hate them! Oh, how she'd grown to understand exactly what Syndrome sought to fight against - these pompous idiots who claimed to seek the betterment of public good, but were there only for their own fame and glory!

She'd hidden everything for so long, kept it locked tight inside her, and now, in this moment when everything threatens to fall apart, she's spilled it all before four of the people she hates most in the world. Mirage stares at them, eyes filling with tears, and almost collapses to the floor, her body shaking weakly with the effort expended by saying those words.

Her eyes meet Mr. Incredible's. She is not sure what she expects to see hidden in his gaze, but, whatever it is, it is not what she finds. His blue eyes stare back at her with a torrent of raging, passionate fury that she has not planned on. "You," he hisses, "You _believe_ in what Syndrome's done? You _believe_ in the killing of all these Supers?"

"Not in killing them," she denies, shaking her head frantically. "But I believe in the feeling behind it. You don't understand. You've never lived a life like mine." She pauses. "You crushed everything he was," she tells him icily. "I cannot let you destroy him now, not again, not when he has just achieved everything he has sought."

"_WHAT!_"

And with that one furious exclamation, Mr. Incredible's fingers close once again around Mirage's throat, gripping her neck so tightly that she cannot breathe. He lifts her tiny frame easily from the floor, and her legs dangle in midair as she kicks frantically, wildly, trying to fight and bring oxygen once more into her lungs.

"BOB!" Elastigirl exclaims in horror. "Bob, for God's sake, _put her down!_"

He ignores the frantic pleas of his wife. "You lied," he snarls. "You rescued me - you said you wanted to help me - and now you're going to let me die!"

Mirage tries to shake her head, tries to spit out a word, a phrase, _anything_, but to no avail. Nothing will pass her throat - not a sound, other than a painful wheezing as her breath slowly disappears from her body.

"DAD!" his children are screaming hysterically, hands over their mouths. They cannot believe they are seeing their father do something like this.

But he continues to ignore them, eyes locked on Mirage. "He _killed_ people. And _you_ - you never even tried to stop him! How can you claim to be on the right side of anything?"

Mirage weakly tries to say something, but words will not come. Her world is going black as she desperately attempts to breathe, to find some slight trickle of air in her throat, but oxygen won't go to her lungs. She is on the verge of unconsciousness… and the she is falling, falling into the abyss…


	5. All's Well that Ends Well right?

**A/N: This is the warm fuzzy happy romantic chapter where everything seems to be working out for Mirage and Syndrome. Enjoy the cute fluffiness!**

- - - - - - - - -

Mirage opens her eyes slowly, hardly daring to breathe. Merely inhaling is painful to her. She feels as though she has swallowed several oranges whole and her throat has swollen to the size of a watermelon. She blinks slowly, fearfully. The light around her is impossibly bright. Is she dead? Had Mr. Incredible killed her? "Syn…" she groans. Her throat aches. What happened to Syndrome? Did he come back? Or will she never know?

"You awake, baby?"

Mirages' eyes flutter open again. She squints against the harsh light, but she tries desperately to see - who is speaking? "Am I dead?" she croaks. It's a stupid question, she knows; but she has to ask.

Her eyes begin to adjust to the light, and she realizes that Syndrome is sitting on the edge of her bed. He smiles gently at her. "No," he tells her softly. "No, sweetheart, you're not dead. I got back just in time to save you."

Mirage props herself up. Syndrome immediately leaps to his feet and adjusts the pillows so that she can lie against them. She needs the support. "What happened?" she asks.

He sits back down before speaking. "I came back," he says slowly. "Jason told me the Incredibles had escaped. We were running around looking for you and then we heard Mr. Incredible shouting. We got to the landing bay and he was just standing there strangling - " Syndrome stops, unable to finish. Mirage can see the pain of the memory flash across his face. "I shot at him," he continues shakily. "Missed, but it worked. He let you go. You just sort of collapsed to the floor." He stares at her earnestly. "I thought you were dead," he whispers.

Mirage forces a painful smile. "I'm all right," she says hoarsely. After a moment, she says, "You came back."

He grins triumphantly despite himself. "I did it," he smirks. "I remembered what you told me, and I beat it. You had nothing to worry about."

A shadow passes over Mirage's face. Oh, she had something to worry about; but he need never know that now. "The Incredibles…?" she asks.

"Getting their memories wiped. They'll never know any of this happened."

Mirage raises an eyebrow. "Going soft on me, are you?" she questions jokingly.

Syn makes a face, an adorable, boyish little face that makes Mirage want to cuddle him. "You started it," he says. He grows serious. "You really made me think, you know. What you said. 'Valuing life is not weakness, and disregarding it is not strength.' You're right. I thought… maybe it was time to set revenge aside, you know?" He looks deeply remorseful. "I've been so involved in this scheme of mine that I've neglected you. I never meant for that to happen."

Mirage smiles. "I forgive you," she promises.

He looks relieved. "Thank you," he says.

She tilts her head slightly to the side and massages her bruised throat unhappily. "What will you do now?" she asks him.

"I dunno," he says with a shrug. "Just live life normally. I'm rich enough to survive on my own. I can do some superhero work here and there, and then just… disappear."

Mirage grimaces in pain as her fingers rub a tender spot on her neck. Syndrome's hand flies out and covers hers, their fingers entwining. He pulls her hand away from her neck and holds it tightly, as though afraid to let go. She smiles softly at him and asks, "And what will the great Syndrome do when he disappears?"

He looks thoughtful. "The usual," he says ponderously. "Settle down, have a family. Isn't that what normal people do?"

"I would hardly classify you as 'normal,'" Mirage tells him dryly. She hesitates, and then asks, almost shyly, "And who, exactly, were you thinking of 'settling down' with?"

Syn smirks. "Well, there's this girl…" he starts.

"Sounds good so far."

"She's a blonde. Nice. Bright green eyes. Super model type, only smarter. Über-sexy and _very_ intelligent."

"And does this exquisite angel have a name?" Mirage asks with a giggle.

"I like to call her Mirage," Syndrome says with a brilliant grin. "Maybe you know her?"

Mirage pretends to think. "The name rings a bell…"

Syndrome shakes his head, still smiling. But then he grows somber once again. "I'm serious, you know," he says. "When I got back and Jason came running out… he was screaming his head off about how the Incredibles had escaped and he thought Mr. Incredible had you and you were going to die… I just _panicked_. I cannot imagine living my life without you. It just wouldn't be worth it." He seems to choke for an instant, and his eyes turn plaintively to hers. "I love you," he whispers. "I love you _so_ much." He reaches over to the table beside her bed and lifts a small velvet box from it. He holds it out to her, and she takes it, trying her best to swallow the lump that has formed in her throat.

When she opens it, she is startled by a bright flash of light. But then the light fades, and a small rainbow arc appears above a sparkling diamond ring. It flashes four words in brilliant colors: Will you marry me?

Mirage smiles and lifts the ring from the box. It's a dazzling diamond set in silver and looped with a delicate leaf design. She slips it on her finger and says, "Only you could create such a flashy proposal."

"I worked hard on that!" Syndrome says, mock-offended. "You have no idea how hard it was to wire that thing. And don't even get me started on that ring. Who would've thought jewelry was so hard to make?"

Mirage looks up at him, stunned. "You _made_ this?" she gasps, motioning to the ring now on her finger.

Syndrome beams, proud of the work he's done. "Had to," he tells her, "Because I couldn't get you an _ordinary_ ring. Too cliché. So I made you one that you can use to call me - all you do is press the diamond and it will connect with this!" He holds up his hand, displaying a silver band that he is now wearing above his white gauntlet. "Sow we can talk to each other wherever we are," he finishes with a slight dramatic flourish.

Mirage smiles, shaking her head in amazement. "The things you come up with," she says.

Syndrome looks a little worried. "You like, don't you?" he asks fearfully.

Mirage nearly bursts with all the joy she feels. She throws her arms around his neck and kisses him, and then lays her head on his shoulder. "It's perfect," she tells him happily. "Everything's perfect…"


	6. Mirage Defeated

**A/N: All right, I can't stay fluffy romantic for long. I'm just not BUILT that way. And as cute as these two are together… well… you can't change time without consequences. And thus I have created the most angsty ending in the universe. Hope nobody minds. Just don't say I didn't warn you!**

- - - - - - - - -

Time heals all wounds, or so they say.

Mirage had manipulated time, had made it do what she had commanded; but time could not stand for it. Time does not bow to mere mortals; has never bowed to them since it began. Mirage was to be made to pay for altering Time and Fate's plans.

In the end, bodies, lives, emotions, souls, all die and disappear, utterly inconsequential. In the end, Time is all that remains.

- - - - - - - - - -

Life passes perfectly for Mirage. The Incredibles, their minds wiped even of the little boy Buddy Pine who called himself Incrediboy and memories of Nomanisan replaced with memories of a completely false supervillain, return to Metroville with little consequence. Mirage and Syndrome are happily and quietly married and living on Nomanisan in peace. Syndrome dabbles in superhero work - even joins forces with Mr. Incredibles once or twice (but never reveals his civilian identity) - but he remains unaware that he owes his success, his happiness, his very life, to Mirage. She prefers things this way, but the question eats away at her: to tell, or not to tell? What will Syndrome do if he knows? Will she utterly crush him, if he realizes that without her he could never have succeeded?

She cannot bear to risk it, especially now - for now she is pregnant, nearly ready to give birth. Soon Syndrome's peaceful little dream of living quietly with his own family will be complete. She wants it as much as he does; more so, perhaps, knowing what he might have been denied.

He keeps a doctor on the island to ensure Mirage won't be in any danger. He won't fly her to the hospital when the baby comes - it will take too long, in his opinion. He wants assurances that his wife and child will be all right, and he can only supervise here on Nomanisan, where he is already master. Here, he can control everything.

Well, perhaps not everything.

His faith in Time and Fate's cooperation has had no reason to be shaken; but Mirage's has. His death showed her that not everything works according to plan; that sometimes, life is just painful and there's no escape from it. She was able to change what had happened; but she suspects that Time is bringing some new painful twist to her life, something that she will not be able to undo.

She waits. She fears. She fears for her lover, and her child, and her future - but not for herself.

- - - - - - - - -

It is a simple fact of nature that Mirage was as delicate and fragile as glass. Syndrome has known this since the moment Mirage's stepfather threw her at his feet. It never occurred to him that perhaps she was too delicate to endure carrying a child.

But she is. She's in labor already, and it's one month too early. The doctor is performing to the best of his ability, but the prognosis is grim. "It's unlikely she'll survive this," he says softly to Syndrome, who is sitting outside his own bedroom, where Mirage is desperately attempting to survive the process of giving birth. Syndrome's face is buried in his hands. His future, his whole life, is disappearing faster than grains of sand from an hour glass.

"A miscarriage?" he asks fearfully.

"Most likely."

He is silent. There are no words to express his grief.

"We can't be for certain," the doctor says in an attempt to comfort him. "I have seen miracles."

Syndrome laughs bitterly. "Not on this island, my friend," he says. "This is the island of pain and hate. There were no miracles worked here - unless you count her." He motions to the closed, soundproof door. Mirage is behind it, suffering. He knows. He can almost feel her pain. "She's going to die."

The doctor cannot deny the hard truth. "Again, it's the most likely possibility, yes," he says.

Syndrome closes his eyes tightly, as though this will save him from the harsh reality. "But… everything was going so _well_," he whispers.

The doctor sighs. "I'm sorry," he says, and then he opens the door and disappears into the room.

- - - - - - - - -

After a few more hours, Nomanisan grows deathly silent. A calm settles over the place, a quiet sort of certainty, as though some sort of specter is satisfied with what has occurred.

Syndrome does not know the smell of death, but he knows something has changed. If death has not come already, then it will soon.

The door to his bedroom opens, and a nurse walks out. She tries to smile sympathetically at Syndrome, but he can only stare blankly at her. "Is she…?" he asks fearfully.

The nurse shakes her head. "Not yet," she says. She hesitates. "The baby was born."

"Stillborn?"

"No, very alive. It's a boy."

A ghost of a smile flickers across Syndrome's face. "Can I see him?"

"Not yet. We're setting him up where he'll be comfortable. We're calling some experts in premature births. Until that time we'll have to be keeping him in - "

"Yes, I know," he says miserably.

"Your wife wants to see you."

He nods slowly and stands shakily. The nurse watches him walk through the door with sad eyes.

The site that greets him is not a happy one. There is blood everywhere, and Mirage is deathly pale, her white-blond hair plastered to her face. "Shut the door," she croaks.

He obeys wordlessly and then goes to sit on the edge of the bed. He takes her hand and presses it to his lips, and holds it there, staring at her in painful disbelief. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I did this to you."

Mirage snorts. "Don't be ridiculous," she says, and although her voice is weak he can hear the touch of sarcasm in her voice. "I wanted this as much as you did."

"But - "

"Don't argue."

He closes his mouth.

She draws in a deep, shuddering breath. "I have a confession to make," she says.

He waits.

"You know what my powers are," she says.

He nods.

"I used them not so long ago. When you were fighting your robot. The first time you did it - " Tears spill out of her eyes. " -you died."

He stares at her, stunned. The words hang in the air. _You died._

She continues despite his shock. "I couldn't live without you, Syn. I _couldn't_. You know how I feel. So I used my powers and I brought you back. I warned you about the Omnidroid. I saved you. And by doing so, I created _this_." She motions to the bloodstained sheets, her own pale clammy skin, her trembling body. "Don't forget that, Syn. _Ever_.

"Listen to me. Our son is going to live - and you _have_ to raise him, Syn. You have to be a good father to him. Promise me."

"I promise," he chokes out.

"If he's a super, nourish his talents," Mirage continues. Her voice is cracking, and he can see she is in a great deal of pain. "If he's not, don't let it get in his way. It certainly didn't get in yours. Go back to the mainland where he can be with other people his own age. Take care of him." She pauses, breathing heavily. "Do something else for me."

"Anything."

"I don't care what you choose as his first name, but for his middle name - call him 'Kronos.'"

Syndrome swallows. Kronos, the Greek word for Time. He has always associated the two with her, and thus he named his original project. And as his son's middle name, it will always be a reminder to him that Mirage saved his life, and died for it. It's painful, but he loves her too much to refuse. "All right," he says softly.

Mirage smiles faintly. "I love you, Buddy," she whispers.

He watches the light disappear from her green eyes, watches the gaze become unfocused and glassy and blank, and feels her hand fall limp against his cheek. He stares at her a moment, and then collapses, his body shaking with sobs.

It's over. Time has run its course for Mirage - and it's all his fault.

- - - - - - - - -

In the month of August three years after Syndrome's miraculous rescue of Metroville from the infamous Omnidroid, the Incredibles receive a new neighbor. He is a solemn man; his red hair is newly cropped in short spikes atop his head and his ice-blue eyes are filled with a pain so deep that no one can meet his gaze for long. With him comes a son, a little toddler boy, two at most, with bright wild red hair, sparkling green eyes, and a dash of freckles across his nose. His father carries him most of the time, and the little boy seems reluctant to stray farther than he must from his one protector. His father, on his part, seems afraid to let the little boy go. As far as the Parrs know, the boy has no mother.

The man's name is Buddy Pine. His son is Jacob Kronos.

_end_


End file.
